Gatorade® National Girls Soccer Player Of The Year: Kennedy Wesley

CERRITOS, Calif., June 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 32^nd year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Kennedy Wesley of Valley Christian High School, Cerritos, Calif. as its 2016-17 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Wesley was surprised with the news by two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women's World Cup champion Abby Wambach.

Check out the surprise video here.

"Kennedy really deserves to be this year's Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year because she symbolizes everything the award stands for," said Wambach. "Not only has Kennedy impressed on the field, but she's also a good student and is a positive influence in the community. I'm excited to follow her career and see what she will accomplish in the future."

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Wesley as the nation's best high school girls soccer player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Wesley from nearly 375,000 high school girls soccer players nationwide. Wesley is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 5-foot-6 sophomore midfielder scored 22 goals and passed for nine assists this past season, leading the Valley Christian Crusaders to a 25-3-3 record and both the Southern Section Division 6 and the Southern California Division V Regional tournament championships. Rated as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2019 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, Wesley is a member of the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Women's National Team and was the Southern Section Division 6 Player of the Year.

A violinist and former gymnast, Wesley has volunteered locally collecting and supplying goods to the homeless, and she has donated her time as a youth camp counselor. Wesley has maintained a weighted 4.02 GPA in the classroom.

"Kennedy Wesley is a rare talent on the soccer field," says TopDrawerSoccer Rankings Expert J.R. Eskilson. "She can play anywhere on defense to any spot in the midfield. That versatility requires a unique skillset and she's expert at controlling the ball with close, composed touches. She passes with excellent technique and superb awareness of her surroundings. Her greatest attribute is her competitive drive, which has allowed her to enjoy unparalleled success at the club, high school, and international level."

Wesley has made a verbal commitment to play soccer on scholarship at Stanford University beginning in the fall of 2019.

"Kennedy embodies everything we look for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O'Brien. "In addition to being one of the best high school girls soccer players in the country, Kennedy has excelled in the classroom and been a positive influence in her community. She is a role model for younger student-athletes to look up to and we are excited to see all the things she will accomplish in the future."

As a part of Gatorade's cause marketing platform "Play it Forward," Wesley also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing. She is also eligible to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for her organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year. 

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Former notable Gatorade National Players of the Year include:

• Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
• 2015 NBA first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns
• Three-time WNBA champion Maya Moore
• Seven-time track & field gold medalist Allyson Felix
• Three-time beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
• Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw

For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year Web site at http://www.gatorade.com/poy, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.

SOURCE The Gatorade Company